Council revisits net-zero requirement for buildings in Cambridge

Proponents of a proposal to require net-zero emissions standards for new large buildings in Cambridge are asking councilors to be the first in the nation to approve such a measure.

Erin Baldassari/ebaldassari@wickedlocal.com

Proponents of a proposal to require net-zero emissions standards for new large buildings in Cambridge are asking councilors to be the first in the nation to approve such a measure.

The “Connolly Petition” — submitted by attorney and former state representative candidate Mike Connolly on behalf of the non-profit environmental organization, Green Cambridge — would require buildings with special permits to conform to net-zero emissions standards through rigorous energy efficiency designs, on-site renewable energy generation and use of renewable energy sources or renewable energy credits for the daily operation of the building.

Connolly said the organization was pleased to see an amendment put forward by Minka vanBeuzekom pass for a few minutes on the floor of the City Council chamber April 8 as councilors debated a 2 million square-foot development proposal on MIT-owned land in Kendall Square. The proposal called for the MIT’s new buildings to conform to net-zero emissions standards, but failed after Mayor Henrietta Davis suddenly changed her vote.

At the time, Davis said she supported the goal of the amendment, but reversed her vote after representatives from the MIT Investment Management Company protested the 11th-hour revision.

“It’s come to my attention that this may be a way to sink this whole entire project,” Davis said at the April 8 meeting. “It was not my intention to cast a vote that did that. It breaks my heart to change my vote, but I think it’s important to see this project through, and I know MIT has the best of intentions on greenhouse gas emissions.”

One of the petition’s co-writers, Green Cambridge president Quinton Zondervan, said the nonprofit wanted to “up the ante” by proposing the petition for any construction project requiring a special permit across the city. Zondervan said he thought the amendment failed because it didn’t elucidate exactly what would be required to achieve net-zero emissions, definitions he said are clarified in the petition.

Dozens of residents testified in front of the council June 24 in support of the proposal. Green Cambridge member Susan Ringler said the petition would help promote the burgeoning New England renewable energy industry, increasing demand for renewables and driving the price down.

Dana Street resident and Massachusetts Sierra Club energy committee chairman, Edward Woll, said the petition would have far-reaching affects beyond Cambridge as developers set examples that could be replicated in other cities and towns. He advocated for requiring developers to submit a fossil-fuel plan in tandem with a net-zero emission plan and “compare the two, dollar for dollar, tax credit for tax credit.”

“This is innovative but that’s what we in Cambridge are good at, so don’t lose sight of that,” Woll said. “It is a road not yet taken in Cambridge but its time has come, so it’s a road that’s necessary to travel now.”

The City Council referred the zoning petition to the Planning Board and Ordinance Committee for a recommendation. As the Chronicle went to print, hearings on the petition had not yet been scheduled. Check back in with the Chronicle online for updates at wickedlocal.com/Cambridge.